The ASUS ROG Ally with standard AMD Ryzen Z1 processor It has already been officially launched, or at least today is its launch date. For those lost, it’s an x86 portable console variant that doesn’t implement the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and hasn’t been released until now, although it was announced a long time ago.

There’s little that’s truly new about the ASUS ROG Ally with the standard Ryzen Z1, of which we’ve revealed a few features at the time, along with those from the Extreme variant of the same processor. The AMD Ryzen Z1 APU range uses Zen 4 as the CPU-level architecture and RDNA 3 for integrated graphics, making it the most advanced technology in its segment of anything the red giant puts on the market.

As for the standard Ryzen Z1 model, it includes six physical cores, twelve total threads (two threads per core), four GPU-level compute units, and 22 MB cache. This is an obvious reduction from the Extreme variant, which has eight physical cores, a total of sixteen threads, 12 GPU-level compute units, and 24MB of cache.

The Ryzen Z1 series supports the USB 4 specification and LPDDR5 and LPDDR5X memory. At the software level, it is designed to work with Windows 11, and with the Adrenalin Edition it is possible to use functions such as AMD Radeon Super Resolution 2, Radeon Chill, Radeon Image Sharpening 3, AMD Link 4 and others, which allow for increased performance and at the same time extend the autonomy offered by the battery.

Returning to the ASUS ROG Ally, whose model reference is RC71L-Z1512, the implementation of the standard Ryzen Z1 affects price 699 euros versus the 799 that the Ryzen Z1 Extreme variant has. Despite this cut, we’re talking about a console that should outperform the Steam Deck on paper, but it’s important to remember that when looking at the device profile, raw performance isn’t such a determining factor unless you want to sacrifice autonomy at all costs.

As for the rest of the features, we have basically the same thing: 16GB 6400MHz LPDDR5 RAM, 512GB data storage expandable via microSD, Windows 11 as operating system, 40Wh quad-cell Li-ion batteryWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and 3.5 mm jack connector for headphones and microphone.

O The screen, that is IPS, 7 inches, is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 5 together with a layer of Gorilla Glass DXC and supports a native resolution of 1080p (1,920 × 1,080 pixels), a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, a variable refresh rate (VRR), a maximum brightness of 500 nits, an aspect ratio of 16:9, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 and a response time of 7 ms. The dimensions of the ASUS ROG Ally are 28.0 x 11.3 x 3.9 centimeters and its weight is approximately 608 grams.

Among the features it shares with the variant that implements the Extreme processor, it is important to highlight that it also has a ROG XG Mobile port, so it is possible to connect an external graphics card to improve the graphics processing power in situations. in which ASUS ROG Ally works connected ka dock and uninterrupted by current.

Starting today, both ASUS ROG Ally variants are now available. We’ll see how the Taiwanese hardware giant’s consoles do commercially as Steam Deck rivals focus on offering more performance, but that and more within the x86 spectrum shows the need to sacrifice autonomy, and a portable console with little autonomy loses a lot of appeal to its potential audience.